Reviews

An American Summer by Frank Deford

sonia_reppe's review against another edition

5.0

A new boy in town befriends a young polio victim in this funny and tragic tale set in the summer of 1955.

librarianna81's review against another edition

4.0

Like my sister, the book definitely made me cry. And it was certainly really interesting reading about a girl in an iron lung - especially since my generation was lucky enough not to have to live through the horrors of the polio scare. I love reading books about that era, and particularly about young kids growing up then, but this book wasn't quite all I had hoped it would be - it was certainly no Stand By Me/Different Seasons, which is probably my favorite movie/book about childhood in the 50s. But it really was interesting to read, and I enjoyed it while I flew through it - I chose to read it because it had been so long since I'd had a chance to read an actual NOVEL, so I was eager to pick up something I knew would be quick & engaging, both of which this book was. And it was certainly an interesting look into a different part of the 50s - that not-so-innocent-as-they'd-like-you-to-think era.